FOR LEBANON CONFERENCE
 
Following the horrifying barbaric atrocities that were committed by the Israeli army on the whole country of the Lebanon with the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, most of which were children, that began on the 13th July 2006 and lasted for 34 days; the Lebanese Muslim League (LML) together with The British Muslim Initiative (BMI) held a conference at SOAS University in London.  With the title ‘For Lebanon’, the conference which was held on the 24th August was aimed at creating an awareness of the carnage that Israel brought on Lebanon.  This was achieved through a series of talks and discussions from distinguished speakers, including the Writer and Broadcaster Mr Terry Waite, with different backgrounds and particular focus on humanitarian, environmental and health issues through to political and media awareness.  The event was supported by the Mayor of London Ken Livingston and attended by a number of dignitaries, both Muslim and non-Muslim, including diplomats from the Lebanese, Egyptian, Indonesian and Iranian embassies, as well as representatives from different religious backgrounds, professions, aid agencies and the media.

The conference, introduced by the Programme Organiser Dr Abdel Majid Katme, was opened with a brief introductory speech from the Chairman, Dr Salah Arkadan, focusing on the vast devastation that Lebanon has suffered over the 34-day conflict.  He also pointed out that although the ceasefire is now in place, the country was in immediate need for humanitarian aid and funding.  This was followed by speeches from the event organisers Mr Mohammed Kozbar (Head of LML) and Mr Mohamad Sawalha (Head of BMI).  The opening session was closed with the keynote speaker Mr Redmond O’Neill, who was representing Mr Ken Livingston.  He focused on London’s support for Lebanon and how the Mayor of London opposed the British Government on Middle Eastern politics and the importance of peaceful resolutions.

A short video clip was shown depicting the inhuman destruction that Lebanon had suffered as a result of the Israeli bombardment, causing over a thousand civilian deaths and about a million (almost a third of the Lebanese population) being displaced.  This introduced the first of the two session conference; under the header, Humanitarian, Environmental and Health Crisis session.  A number of speakers from different relief organisations including Mr Saif Ahmad (Muslim Aid UK), Mr Fadi Itani (Islamic Relief UK) and Mrs Manal Omar (Oxfam) gave an insight into the magnitude of the crisis, the logistical difficulties in delivering aid packages and the need for a ‘relief corridor’ in order for necessary medical equipment and medicine to be safely delivered.  Numerical statistics on the damages was delivered by Mr Abdulhalim Zeidan (Islamic Welfare Association, Sidon/Lebanon) followed by a brief show and speech on the long term environmental damages, by Mrs Harfiyah Haleem (Islamic Foundation for Ecology & Environmental Sciences).

Following a short tea break, the Media and Politics of the Current Situation in Lebanon session was introduced by Mrs Soumaya Ghannouchi.  The first speech was given by Dr Azzam Al-Tamimi (International Institute for Political Thought) which was focusing on the illegal Israeli aggression and the need for more support for Lebanon by both the Arab states as well as the West.  Mr Terry Waite (Writer and Broadcaster) then gave his opinion on the situation and how he anticipated that peace and justice will eventually emerge in the near future.  This was followed by Mr Andrew Murray (Stop the War Coalition) addressing the problems with the British foreign policies especially in the Middle East and how the people of this country must stand firm to have their voices heard.  The second session was concluded by Mr Ahmed Thomson (the Association of Muslim Lawyers) giving a brief layout on how British and International laws have been broken by Israel and noting the definition of terrorism that includes Israeli state terrorism. 

An open discussion on both sessions took place with important contributions from the hundred or so audience present.  This was followed by a resolutions and recommendations slot, which included sending British delegates to the war-torn areas of Lebanon, supporting the rebuilding of Lebanon and demanding resolutions that will establish peace in the region.